The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-11-27
AN INSANE HEATHER
Buns Amuck on the Denver &
Rio Grande Train.
ONE MAN FATALLY INJURED.
Killed by the Brakeman-Thanks
From the Passengers.

! dlIeruOOD Oh snOOLnS Scrdpe WAICu
was said to have occurred on the d. q
R. g., in which a Chinaman end
brakeman were the participants.
Rumors were as vague as they were nu-
merous, and it was not until the arrival
of No. 7, that the facts in the case were
learned-that Ii Shun, a crazy China
man had slit open Brakeman Ganong's
trousers, stabbed young man
named George Hackelbridger in
the abdomen, and had in turn
been fatally shot by the brake
man. Undertaken Joseph William Fay
lor had been instructed to take charge of
the body, and arrange for an inquest to
be held at p. N. Coroner Taylor had
been notified and summoned as his
jury, Messrs. John NJ. Hardie, Isaac
Emery, and George Stringfeliow, who,
after receiving the body and examining
the wounds, returned to The under
takers office and commenced the tax
ing of testimony.
JAMES GANoNG,
| the brakeman, whom it was alleged had
done the shooting that caused the death
of the Chinaman was the first witness
examined. Am brakeman on the Den
yer IL Rio Grande passenger train, No.
| 7; got on the train at Grand Junction,
| Colorado, at about 7 q. NJ, WheG some
one said there was a crazy Chinaman on
the train, and in the closet; Conductor
| ConIisk came to me and asked me to get
him out; went to the door and spoke to
him, but he refused to come; | then
tried to get at him by prying the glass
of the top, and as was doing this, the
Chinaman came out with a dirk in his
hand aud made a pass at me, cutting
through my pants, but not into
ne flesh, and knocking me into
! 5ne wood box; | got up,
went out and borrowed pistol; Conlisk
told me to be careful and get along
without killing tue heather if possible;
| told the Chinaman 10 put the knife
down, but instead of so doing he made
pass at lady near him, who fell to
the floor; he then attacked q young
man near by, stabbing him in the abb
| domen, and then | commenced shoot
ing; l did so, because believed that
the life of every man, woman and child
in the car was in danger as long as he
was permitted to be at large; [ would
not have shot him, had | been able to
handle him and protect the passengers
without doing SO; l do not know the
name of the young man who received
the wounds at the hands of the China
man; he was dangerously wounded;
the Chinaman was making at me when
| commenced firing; l should think 1t
| UpG q O1t 6 IN in tho rnOrniDp whom the
fracas occurred; we were then at Gre
vase, Col; the Chinaman died about
10 so am. at Lower Crossing, Utah,
twenty-five miles this side of Green
River.
WILLIAM A. FERGUSON
said the statement of the occurrence as
given by the brakeman was substsu-
italy correct so far as he knew !;
the young man who was stabbed
made no movement towards his
assailant; he was sitting quietly in
his seat, reading paper or a magazine !;
l believe that if the brakeman had not
pursued the course he did, the China
man would have killed every person in
the car; he had a wild look; should
judge that he was insane; there were
some remarks passed between the
Chinaman and the brakeman, but l
did not hear what they were; could not
tell how many shots we're fired; the
Chinaman appeared to be all right
early in the morning, before he went
into the closet; l understood that he
had conVersed pleasantly with several
people.
S. H. ALMOND.
Am from the southern part of
Illinois; the brakeman story is correct;
my wife and baby and myself we're
travelling in the same car in which the
Chinaman was shot; l went into the
smoker for a short time, and when 1
returned the Chinaman was in the
closet raising Cain; l listened
to him, and heard him talk
ing in an incoherent way aoout
$500, So, and So; to the best of my
knowledge the idea seemed to possess
him that he had $500, and So, and
would give S.. told the conductor he
ought to get the man out; the con-
duotor and brakeman went to the door
and tried to induce him to come, call
ing him several times; he remained
silent, and was quiet until we changed
crews as Grand Junction, Colo. ConIisk
and Ganong filled the places vacated by
the other conductor and brakeman, and
to them l told the story of the China
man and the trouble he had caused
they went to get him out of the closet.
and when he came out he struck at the
brakeman with dirk; he then picked
up an iron poker, and with that in one
hand and the knife in The other he
ordered US to sit down we had no other
pressing business at that moment, and
We obeyed orders; my wife, who had q
baby in her arms, was badly frightened,
and once rose from her seat; as she
did so the Chinamsn made a pass
at her with the knife and she dropped
to the floor; the brakeman called upon
him to put the knife up, and the
deceased then jumped young man
who was quietly reading, near by, and
stabbed him in the abdomen; shall
never forget the appearance Of the
Chinaman as he darted at the young
man; there was not the slightest provo
cation offered for the attack; consider
that the brakeman was not only justi-
fed in his action, but by his prompt